Johnny Peppertoes follows a spirited boy in 1950s Plainsville who, after his father is injured in a mill fire, must confront grief, fear, and his own mistakes to discover what true courage means. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I had never written a chapter book, only picture books before Johnny Peppertoes. The name came to me as I walked through my bedroom. My Mom (who lived with me) thought it was a silly name and said so 3 times that day. At 3:00AM and in a sound sleep, I was suddenly awake and a voice said “this will be a book” referring to JP. I was overwhelmed but eventually proceeded with only inspiration to guide me. An editor eventually came into my life who helped with boy issues as I did not have any sons. Past experiences from my childhood came to mind (i.e.: licorice) but most was just following thoughts which came to my mind. I was not college educated because of family trauma nor was I ever a teacher.

Johnny’s father remains influential even while absent from much of the story. How did you approach showing the lasting power of a parent’s words?​

Johnny’s father developed as a good, wise father whose actions and words would cause a child to remember them, and we as parents can only hope our children will benefit from example.

What did you hope young readers would understand about courage, particularly through Johnny’s fear, anger, and mistakes?​

I felt that Johnny gave children courage to overcome obstacles like fear and anger, that they are normal. Mistakes happen but good character results when you realize the strength within you can make a difference in tough situations and that children can make a difference in the world.

How did you collaborate with the illustrator to create artwork that matched Johnny’s personality and the story’s nostalgic, homespun atmosphere?​

13 year old Alberto Gonzalez came knocking at my door to welcome me to our new home. He somehow heard I was writing a book and wanted to know if he could do the illustrations. I politely said no, thinking how could a young boy, newly arrived from Puerto Rico, be a good enough artist for my book. Humbly, three months later, I realized I made a big mistake and welcomed him to begin what turned out to be a two and a half year project. We met many, many times to discuss what I wanted and he always did it right, unbelievable as it may seem. When a fourth grade teacher friend agreed to use JP for her English classes one semester (used it for 3 years) the principal told me at the end that she credited it for the highest grades ever in 4th grade. I was a guest as well as Alberto once a year on author’s day and the kids went wild for him. The teacher handed me responses by children giving thanks to me and saying what they liked about the book. I’m especially proud of the ending pic of the different children of the world. Sometimes, I tear up, wondering how in the world someone like me, late in life, could be gifted to write inspirational stories. Surprisingly, I’ve had older children, an eighteen year old, sixty-five year old and even older people read and tell me it reminded them of their childhood. Maybe, that’s why there is no mention of age in the book. To God be the glory.